% File src/library/utils/man/prompt.Rd
% Part of the R package, https://www.R-project.org
% Copyright 1995-2025 R Core Team
% Distributed under GPL 2 or later

\name{prompt}
\title{Produce Prototype of an R Documentation File}
\alias{prompt}
\alias{prompt.default}
\alias{prompt.data.frame}
\alias{promptImport}
\description{
  Facilitate the constructing of files documenting \R objects.
}
\usage{
prompt(object, filename = NULL, name = NULL, \dots)

\method{prompt}{default}(object, filename = NULL, name = NULL,
       force.function = FALSE, \dots)

\method{prompt}{data.frame}(object, filename = NULL, name = NULL, \dots)

promptImport(object, filename = NULL, name = NULL, 
	importedFrom = NULL, importPage = name, ...)
}
\arguments{
  \item{object}{an \R object, typically a function for the default
    method.  Can be \code{\link{missing}} when \code{name} is specified.}
  \item{filename}{usually, a \link{connection} or a character string giving the
    name of the file to which the documentation shell should be written.
    The default corresponds to a file whose name is \code{name} followed
    by \code{".Rd"}.  Can also be \code{NA} (see below).}
  \item{name}{a character string specifying the name of the object.}
  \item{force.function}{a logical.  If \code{TRUE}, treat \code{object}
    as function in any case.}
  \item{\dots}{further arguments passed to or from other methods.}
  \item{importedFrom}{a character string naming the package from
    which \code{object} was imported.  Defaults to the environment
    of \code{object} if \code{object} is a function.}
  \item{importPage}{a character string naming the help page
    in the package from which \code{object} was imported.}
}
\value{
  If \code{filename} is \code{NA}, a list-style representation of the
  documentation shell.  Otherwise, the name of the file written to is
  returned invisibly.
}
\details{
  Unless \code{filename} is \code{NA}, a documentation shell for
  \code{object} is written to the file specified by \code{filename}, and
  a message about this is given.  For function objects, this shell
  contains the proper function and argument names.  R documentation
  files thus created still need to be edited and moved into the
  \file{man} subdirectory of the package containing the object to be
  documented.

  If \code{filename} is \code{NA}, a list-style representation of the
  documentation shell is created and returned.  Writing the shell to a
  file amounts to \code{cat(unlist(x), file = filename, sep = "\\n")},
  where \code{x} is the list-style representation.

  When \code{prompt} is used in \code{\link{for}} loops or scripts, the
  explicit \code{name} specification will be useful.
  
  The \code{importPage} argument for \code{promptImport} needs to give 
  the base of the name of the
  help file of the original help page.  For example,
  the \code{\link{approx}} function is documented in \file{approxfun.Rd}
  in the \pkg{stats} package, so if it were imported and re-exported
  it should have \code{importPage = "approxfun"}.  
  Objects that are imported from other packages are not
  normally documented unless re-exported. 
}
\note{
  The documentation file produced by \code{prompt.data.frame} does not
  have the same format as many of the data frame documentation files in
  the \pkg{base} package.  We are trying to settle on a preferred
  format for the documentation.
}
\section{Warning}{
  The default filename may not be a valid filename under limited file
  systems (e.g., those on Windows).

  Currently, calling \code{prompt} on a non-function object assumes that
  the object is in fact a data set and hence documents it as such.  This
  may change in future versions of \R.  Use \code{\link{promptData}} to
  create documentation skeletons for data sets.
}
\seealso{
  \code{\link{promptData}}, \code{\link{help}} and the chapter on
  \sQuote{Writing R documentation files} in the \sQuote{Writing R Extensions}
  manual:
  \code{\link{RShowDoc}("R-exts#Writing-R-documentation-files")}.

  For creation of many help pages (for a package),
  see \code{\link{package.skeleton}}.

  To prompt the user for input, see \code{\link{readline}}.
}
\author{Douglas Bates for \code{prompt.data.frame}}
\references{
  \bibshow{R:Becker+Chambers+Wilks:1988}
}
\examples{
require(graphics)
\dontshow{oldwd <- setwd(tempdir())}
prompt(plot.default)
prompt(interactive, force.function = TRUE)
unlink("plot.default.Rd")
unlink("interactive.Rd")

prompt(women) # data.frame
unlink("women.Rd")

prompt(sunspots) # non-data.frame data
unlink("sunspots.Rd")

\dontshow{setwd(oldwd)}
\dontrun{
## Create a help file for each function in the .GlobalEnv:
for(f in ls()) if(is.function(get(f))) prompt(name = f)
}

}
\keyword{documentation}
